Vyra

Five days.

It'd been nearly a week since I shifted, with no word from or sight of the Alpha.

After wrapping me in a blanket and giving me one sentence of praise, he shipped me off to my room.

When I showed up to train the morning after, Titus collected me and told me my sessions would be suspended for the time being.

To say I was a bit pissed off would be an understatement. I finally completed the task he asked of me, and now he abandoned his position without fulfilling his promise to me.

It cured me of whatever I was feeling for him while we danced, bond or not. It could be easily blamed on wine and him being beautiful and me having eyes and a beating heart.

After my near death, I wanted nothing more than to see Sonya and Petir again. They would never believe the shit I had gone through these past several weeks.

I decided to take the advice Titus gave me and explore the fortress.

I found the kitchens, more bedrooms, a makeshift council room, a locked door that more than likely led to either weapons or the dungeons underneath, and large common areas.

While I enjoyed every unique room in its own way, my favorite was the library.

It was where I currently rested, folded up on a large wool lined sofa while paging through a short novel absentmindedly.

After an hour of not being able to focus, I slammed the book down on the table in front of me and roamed through the large room.

Similar to my room, it faced out instead of towards the mountain, therefore it had a lot of light from its colorfully stained floor to ceiling windows.

The black cherry shelves lined every wall, and an iron spiral staircase led to three other floors. The second had a balcony and a large stone hearth, which is where I liked to hide out.

Usually I avoided the highest floor because it received the least amount of light, but I decided to venture up today.

It had pretty much the same layout as the rest of the library, except there was a little work desk shoved in the corner. It caught my attention, due the large black book with gold leaf around the pages left right on the edge of it.

I walked over, finding scribbled notes on parchment all over the desk. From the cursive ink I could tell it was Seren who wrote them. Some of the pages had beautiful sketches, of trees and lakes, of woodland animals. I was impressed and a little shocked that the Alpha was good at drawing.

They felt too personal to spy on. Instead, I focused on the written words.

One in particular stuck out to me, reading "Wolf's Bane?" I dropped the note like it stung me, knowing exactly what it referred to. Another note said "family tree" which sat right on top of the book.

I carefully moved the note to the side so I could see the title.

The Five Clans of Pack Rupes.

An interesting title. Did it have the family tree Seren had been looking for?

I heard a door opening, and quickly moved the note exactly where I found it, reminding myself to visit later.

"Vyra?" I heard the guard yell up from the bottom floor.

I quickly moved down the spiral staircase. "Yes?" I asked, gripping the rail casually when I made it to the bottom.

Titus missed nothing, but he ignored my slightly breathless state. "Gods, Vyra! I couldn't find you anywhere. Come with me, please."

I followed him without protest or questions. My heart still stuttered from almost being caught snooping.

Our trek took us all the way to the cave where the mating ritual was held. I did not have to ask why we were there.

Titus turned to me, positioned to the side of the cave opening, "Cyrus is on trial in front of the elder council. They will decide what happens to him after today for what he did to you."

My jaw dropped. "What?"

The council was not to be taken lightly. While the Alpha was the ultimate leader, when situations were less cut and dry, he had to invoke the council to help vote on decisions.

Cyrus was the Alpha's friend. I was the Alpha's mate, but also an Outcast. I expected the terrible man to get a slap on the wrist and be put on guard duty in the forest, away from the pack for a short while.

"It isn't against the rules to harm an Outcast." I survived, which would have made his punishment invalid.

Titus raised a brow, "And? I told you, things are different now. You are also the Alpha's mate. If he cannot protect you, what makes him fit to protect the entire pack?"

I nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.

The guard let out a sigh, "Right. I know you haven't ever been to a trial, so I am telling you now, remain silent. No matter what."

I smiled nervously, "That shouldn't be too hard for me."

He eyed me warily. "And trust the Alpha."

Keeping my mouth shut this time, I proved that I could hold my tongue. Titus looked slightly concerned, but then led me into the cave.

We remained close to the wall as we walked up to the Elders. The entirety of the Umbra Clan glared at me, as they sat before the dais.

Seren was there, as the representative of Clan Umbra. I stared at his profile, and the memory of us dancing entered my mind. I quickly looked away, already feeling the blood rush to my face, followed by the heat of frustration.

He made no gesture in my direction, standing tall with his hands clasped in front of him. To his left were the three other elders, the healer from Clan Stellae, a warrior from Clan Sol, and a historian from Clan Caelum.

In front of them was Cyrus, his hands bound behind his back. The male was wounded pretty badly. Old blood marked his face and there were scrapes over the rest of his body. A single eye was purpled and swollen shut.

With his good eye, he turned and glared at me.

I did not startle, finding that he was much less scary when he was restrained. My lack of reaction seemed to rile him up more.

Titus quickly set me to the left of the Alpha and took a step back. Seren caught Cyrus trying to intimidate me, and stepped in front of me, blocking the other man's view.

"Thank you all for meeting here, given the circumstances. I will ask for permission to relay what happened with our prisoner here that I had to call for a trial."

The Caelum elder lifted his hand. "Speak."

The Alpha forged on, "During the Primitus feast, Vyra Lupine took some time alone by the edge of a forest. She is not used to crowds, as an Outcast."

I watched the male relay the details with begrudging admiration. He could be captivating when it suited him, using his body and his voice to emit pure, unwavering confidence. I was there, and still I felt anticipation for his words.

The Alpha looked out to each and every one of his Clan, his silver eyes darkening. "Cyrus happened upon her and decided that it would be wise to make advances towards her. When Vyra rejected his offer, that was when she was attacked without reason by the male. He then attempted to murder her by drowning her in the stream."

Several members of Clan Umbra gasped. I doubted it was because they cared, but because of the pure suspense which Seren relayed the story.

I trembled as I relived the horrible half hour of my life. The Alpha turned his head towards me, his silver eyes a calm sea. When I took a deep breath, he turned back to the council.

"Our pack protects women from unwanted attention, Outcast or not. Vyra is not entirely a member of our pack, but she is my mate. Under pack law, she is protected from harm because of her connection to me. Therefore, I insist that Cyrus is given the First Punishment."

The room erupted. I looked back at Titus, who made a line over his neck.

Death. The Alpha wanted Cyrus dead.

I looked back to the elders, wide eyed and waiting for their thoughts. The elder from Clan Sol turned to the prisoner.

"You may speak of your innocence or accept your guilt."

Cyrus roared, his body fighting the silver bindings around his wrists and feet. "He's hiding the truth and twisting it to his advantage. I only harmed the Outcast because she attacked me first!" The wolf spit on the ground. "Look at that Outcast pig, I would never dare to offer myself to her! I would rather die!"

This is what Titus warned me about, though I found it easy to remain silent. He was a disgusting liar. I found it all a bit humorous, that he wanted to use me despite every terrible thing he believed.

The Alpha stalked forward, and for a moment I thought he was going to backhand the already beaten man. The room quieted as Seren slowly let his hand fall back to his side.

Cyrus committed another offense by speaking out against the Alpha, but that did not seem to matter. The elders looked as if they were deliberating his words.

"I have witnesses who say differently." Seren countered, his voice much more strained than before. He looked in the crowd. "Mena? Please come forward."

This time I was just as surprised as the rest of the room.

The female wolf stepped up from her spot within Clan Umbra and onto the dais. She bowed dutifully to the Alpha, before turning to the council.

"I saw both Vyra and Cyrus that night. I briefly stopped to try to get the male to reconsider, and then told Seren's guard to retrieve him. I stayed in the shadows and watched so I could have proof."

Cyrus blanched white. Seren grinned wildly. Mena flushed at the mention of Titus.

I would get details from the guard later about why she was out by the stream in the first place.

My first reaction was to feel bad for all the terrible things I thought about the woman as she walked away. It turns out she had a purpose and wasn't leaving me for dead.

"Can you show us the proof?" the healer requested.

I expected for Mena to say what happened, just with more specifics.

Instead, she closed her eyes, her face pursed with concentration. Soon after, all three of the elders followed, their eyes twitching behind their lids.

The healer opened their eyes first, "Thank you for showing us. You may find your place with your Clan."

Mena bowed once more, and quickly retreated.

It dawned on me then. They could speak through their minds? I felt betrayed, my arms crossing over my chest.

No wonder it seemed like Titus and Seren were having their own silent conversation right in front of me. They were. I had always assumed members of the Umbra Clan were just more stoic and enjoyed brooding in silence, but this made so much more sense.

"Who here believes Cyrus broke the ancient laws of Pack Rupes?" the Alpha called out over the loud chatter, reigning in my focus as well.

All members of the council raise their hands.

"Who here believes he should receive the punishment congruent to brutal force with intent to kill?"

The Alpha raised his hand first. One more raised reluctantly.

It was a draw.

Seren all but growled, his body stalking towards the council. I could barely hear what was happening, but apparently they were arguing through harsh whispers.

"Even after what you saw?" I heard the Alpha exclaim, before he was calmed by the Stellae elder.

After a few more minutes of debate, the Alpha turned slowly. His expression was still marred by frustration as he addressed the room.

"As decided by the council, Cyrus Kaziti, you are hereby exiled from Pack Rupes."

Silence took all of the air out of the cave.

I could not believe it. A member of Clan Umbra was being sent out of the pack for good because of me. My hand went immediately to the scar on my chest, looking for a way to soothe my nerves.

He deserved it. He hurt me. I just never expected him to feel the consequences of it.

It was obvious the Alpha was not happy with the decision. He kept his hands on his hips, pensive and calculating.

The room filed out slowly in a defeated manner. The Umbra Clan could not deny the evidence before them. Those that jeered at me on my way in kept their heads low.

I made eye contact with Mena, smiling in a way that I hoped showed my thanks. She nodded once, before leaving.

There were only three wolves that had ever been exiled from the pack, and most were from generations before we were born. Titus and a couple other guards made their way to Cyrus, lifting him from the floor. His head hung to his chest, and I wondered if execution would have been less painful.

Now, according to pack law, he was beneath even me in priority.

As the exiled male passed me, he lifted his head. His pale eyes were seething with patient fury. They promised me that if I ever crossed paths with him again, I would not make it out alive. I relished in the fact he would never get the revenge he wanted.

It took me a moment to realize that it was only myself and the Alpha left in the cave.

I startled when he stepped in front of me, his silver eyes subdued.

My mind was filled with so many thoughts and questions for him, I did not know where to start. Do I thank him for this? Do I question him again why he is fighting to keep me alive? Should I speak of the notes and the book or complain about his absence.

Silence stretched between us, as I continued to stare into his eyes and forget every single thing I wanted to say to him.

The Alpha dropped his shoulders, extending an olive branch.

"I believe I owe you."